			    Serial Solutions, Inc.
				Presents

				EditShow
			      Version 1.3

			      
Published by:

			   Serial Solutions, Inc.
			      P.O. Box 2392
			  Littleton CO. 80161-2392

				EditShow
			Release 1.3 - July, 1995
		   Copyright 1995, Serial Solutions, Inc.
			   All Rights Reserved


Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitations of Liabilities:

	This manual and the enclosed software were prepared by Serial 
Solutions, Inc. While the authors and program developers have taken 
reasonable care in preparing this manual and the files on the enclosed 
diskettes to assure their accuracy, Serial Solutions, Inc. and the authors 
assume no liability resulting from any inaccuracy or omissions contained in 
them of from the use of the information or programs contained here.

	The authors and Serial Solutions, Inc. have no expressed or implied 
warranty of any kind with regard to these programs or to the supplemental 
documentation in this manual. In no event, shall the authors, the program 
developers, or Serial Solutions, Inc. be liable for incidental or 
consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the furnishing, 
performance, or use of any of these programs or documentation. This 
disclaimer includes but is not limited to any loss of service, loss of 
business or anticipatory profits, or consequential damages resulting from 
the use or operation of the enclosed software.

	Serial Solutions, Inc. encourages your comments, questions and any 
suggestions for improvement that you wish to provide. Please feel free to 
contact us at:

			Serial Solutions, Inc.
			     P.O. Box 2392
			 Littleton, CO 80161
			    (303) 347-8547
			Fax - (303) 791-1381
		     CompuServe ID - 73544,3444
		  America-Online - SerialSol@aol.com


	EditShow Overview

	EditShow is a presentation editing utility that can be used to setup 
a presentation for use in any of Serial Solutions, Windows based products. 
EditShow uses a file to store the images for use in a presentation 
environment. The EditShow utility allows the user to lay out their images in 
a thumbnail sketch format to preview their presentation before showing it. 
The images are laid out in the exact order that they will be shown in the 
presentation.

	Opening Screen

	 The EditShow utility is used to create a new presentation or modify 
an existing presentation. The EditShow logo is the first thing that appears 
on the screen. The logo will remain on the screen while the system is 
initializing. 

	Once the program has initialized, the EditShow opening screen prompts 
the user to select which mode they wish to initially operate the program. 

	Presentation Operation Type ( New, Edit, Cancel, Exit )

	Options:

		New: The New option allows the user to enter a new 
presentation name. The new option is for those users that wish to create a 
new presentation from scratch. All New presentations must start from the new 
option.

		Edit: The Edit option allows the user to change or modify an 
existing presentation. If the presentation, you wish to work on already 
exists on your computer or on a diskette, you should choose the edit option.

		Cancel: The Cancel option allows the user to enter the utility 
without setting up a presentation. If the user is not sure if the presentation 
already exists, they should use the cancel option and just start at the main 
application screen.

		Exit: The Exit option allows the user to simply exit the 
utility and not enter the application at all. The exit option will just 
return the user to the Windows Program Manager.

	Presentation Selection

	If the user chooses to either create a new presentation or modify an 
existing presentation they will be required to select a presentation name. 

	The Create New Presentation and the Modify An Existing Presentation 
dialog boxes are standard windows dialog boxes. The user can create or access 
a presentation in any directory or on any drive in the machine. The user 
needs to either enter the presentation name in the File Name box or select 
the presentation from the file list box if it exists.

	Note: All presentations will be automatically appended with the .prs 
extension so it is not necessary to add the extension while entering the file 
name.

	If the presentation exists and the user is trying create a new 
presentation, the user will receive an error message to notify them that the 
presentation exists. 

      
	Screen Layout

	Once you have moved past the opening screen, you will be able to work 
on your presentation. If you chose "Cancel" from the opening screen, the main 
EditShow window will be blank and the only option you have is to select from 
the File menu at the top of the window.

	If you chose a presentation to work on from the opening screen 
(either a new presentation or an existing one), the presentation will be 
loaded and all the windows controls will be present. 

	The next section of this manual will discuss each aspect of the 
window layout and what function each component is responsible for.

	Titlebar

	The EditShow program's titlebar indicates the name of the current 
presentation being edited. The name will include the complete path where the 
actual file exists on the computer. 

	Menu Bar

	The menu bar has File as its only option. The menubar is located 
directly below the titlebar. 

	File Options: The File menu options consist of the following options: 
New presentation, Open existing presentation, Close the currently open 
presentation, Save the currently open presentation, Save the currently open 
presentation to a new file name, Delete a presentation stored on the 
computer, the About dialog box, and Exit the program. 

	New...

	The New menu item allows the user to create a new presentation from 
scratch. When the user selects the New option, the file selection dialog box 
will pop onto the screen. The user will then enter the name they wish to call 
their new presentation. Once the file is selected, the user is returned to 
the main editing screen and they are free to select their slides for the new 
presentation.

	Open...

	The Open menu item allows the user to edit an existing presentation. 
When the user selects the Open option, the file selection dialog box will pop 
onto the screen. The user will then either enter the name of the presentation 
they wish to edit or use the file selection box to select the presentation 
they wish to edit. Once the file is selected, the presentation slides will 
fill the presentation slide box. Once the images are in the presentation 
slide box, the user is free to edit the slides to make a revised 
presentation.

	Close

	The Close menu item allows the user to close the current presentation 
that is being worked on. When the user closes a presentation, the internal 
files will all be closed and if the presentation has not been saved since any 
previous editing, the user will be prompted to save the presentation before 
closing. Once the presentation is closed, the user will be at the main edit 
screen and the presentation slide box will be blank.

	Save

	The Save menu item allows the user to save any changes that have been 
made since the last save. The save option will save the presentation to the 
same file name without prompting the user. The user should use the save 
option periodically when changing a presentation. This will ensure that if 
any problems arise with your computer, you will not have to re-create all the 
changes you have already made.

	Save As...

	The Save As... menu item allows the user to save the presentation 
under a different name. If the user selects the Save As... option, they will 
be prompted by the filename dialog box. The user should enter the name of the 
new presentation. The Save As option is good for slightly modifying standard 
presentations for tailored needs. This situation could arise if you wish to 
use an existing presentation with only a few slides that are different.

	Delete...

	The Delete menu item allows the user to delete a presentation from 
your computer that may no longer be needed. The delete option is good for 
clearing disk space, especially if you have presentations that are no longer 
needed.

	About...

	The About menu item will give the user Serial Solution's company 
information, as well as the current version of the EditShow utility.

	Exit

	The Exit menu item will get the user completely out of the program 
and will close all open files. If a presentation has been changed since its 
last update, the user will be prompted to decide if they wish to save the 
current presentation before exiting.


	Presentation Slides

	The Presentation slides box is the large box in the middle of the 
window. The slides box holds the thumbnail sketches of all the images in your 
presentation. The window will be empty if you have a presentation with no 
slides or are just starting to create a presentation. If there are more than 
three (3) images in the presentation, there will be a scroll bar at the 
bottom of the window. 

	There are three (3) components to the presentation slide box: the 
slide viewing area, the scroll bar and the active slide position. Each of 
these components are now described in detail.

	Slide Viewing Area

	The slide viewing area is the largest area in the box. The slide 
viewing area holds the thumbnail sketches of all the images in your 
presentation. The images are displayed in the exact order that they will 
appear in the presentation. The slides are displayed from left to right in 
ascending order. The maximum number of slides that can be viewed in the slide 
viewing area at any one time is three (3).

	Scroll Bar

	The scroll bar is directly below the slide viewing area. The scroll 
bar will only be present if there are enough images to extend beyond the size 
of the viewing area. The scroll bar appears and acts like any other windows 
scroll bar. Sliding the scroll bar to the right will scroll the slide viewing 
area to the right and sliding to the left will slide the viewing area to the 
left.

	Active Slide Position

	The active slide position is defined to be the current marked 
position in the presentation. Adding slides, deleting slides and replacing 
slides will be done with respect to the active slide position. The active 
slide position is displayed as a dark grey border around the active image. 
The non-active slide's border is a lighter grey. The active slide position 
may not be in the viewing area. If you want to find the active slide, use 
the scroll bar to scroll the viewing area until the dark grey border appears. 
To change the active slide position, move the cursor over the slide you wish 
to make active and click the mouse. Changing to a new active slide will draw 
the dark grey border around the newly activated image.

	Slide Controls

	The Slide Controls are the group of buttons that are directly beneath 
the slide viewing area. This control group is labeled "Slide Controls" in the 
upper left corner of the border box. The slide controls are used for editing 
the presentation. The buttons are labeled "Add Before", "Add After", 
"Delete", and "Replace". 

	The slide controls are for changing the content of your presentation. 
Each button and its corresponding functionality is described in detail next.

	Add Before

	The Add Before button is for adding an image immediately preceding 
the current active slide. This button can also be used for adding the first 
slide in a presentation. When you select the Add Before button, a file dialog 
box will appear. Use the file dialog box to select the slide that you wish to 
enter into the presentation. Once you have selected a valid image, the file 
dialog box will disappear and the thumbnail sketch will appear in the desired 
location in the slide viewing area.

	Add After

	The Add After button is for adding an image immediately after the 
current active slide. This button can also be used for adding the first slide 
in a presentation. When you select the Add After button, a file dialog box 
will appear. Use the file dialog box to select the slide that you wish to 
enter into the presentation. Once you have selected a valid image, the file 
dialog box will disappear and the thumbnail sketch will appear in the desired 
location in the slide viewing area.

	Delete

	The Delete button is for removing an image from the presentation. The 
image that is deleted is the currently active slide. The slide that was 
selected for deletion will be removed and the remaining images will be 
redrawn in the slide viewing area.

	Replace

	The Replace button is for inserting a new image into the presentation 
in the place of another slide. The currently active slide is the one that is 
replaced. Once the replace button is selected, the file dialog box will 
appear. The user should select a new slide from the file dialog box. The new 
slide will be redrawn in the place of the currently active slide in the slide 
viewing area.


	General Controls

	The General Controls are the group of buttons nearest the bottom of 
the EditShow window. This control group is labeled "General Controls" in the 
upper left corner of the border box. The general controls are used for 
miscellaneous functions with respect to the presentation. The buttons are 
labeled "View" and "Save". 

	The general controls are used for two different purposes in EditShow. 
Each button and its corresponding functionality is described in detail next.

	View

	The View button is used to explode the active thumbnail image into 
its actual size. This option is very useful for presentations with slides 
that are very similar. The thumbnail images do not contain a great deal of 
detail, so if you need to view the detail of an image, this is the correct 
option to use. Once the user selects the View button, the entire screen is 
opened and the image is displayed. To get back to the main EditShow window, 
select the "OK" button.

	Save

	The Save button allows the user to save any changes that have been 
made since the last save. The Save option will save the presentation to the 
same file name without prompting the user. The user should use the Save 
option periodically when changing a presentation. This will ensure that if 
any problems arise with your computer, you will not have to re-create all the 
changes you have already made.


	Preview Check Box

	The preview check box allows the user to get a preview of each 
editing move they make before they actually make it. For each editing 
operation (Add Before, Add After, Delete, Replace), the preview option brings 
up a little dialog box that will prompt a user to confirm whether the action 
that was taken is what they really want. 

	Add Preview: The Add Preview option will bring up a thumbnail of the 
new image and "YES" or "NO" options for the user to verify whether the 
addition is wanted. 

	Delete Preview: The Delete Preview option will bring up a thumbnail 
of the proposed image to be deleted, and "YES" or "NO" options for the user 
to verify whether the Deletion is desired. 
					   
	Replace Preview: The Replace Preview option will bring up a thumbnail 
of the proposed image to be replaced and a thumbnail of the image to be 
inserted. The user is prompted to verify whether they wish to make the 
replacement. 


	Status Line

	The status line gives the user information about the currently 
selected slide. 

	The status line gives the user four pieces of information about the 
currently selected slide: the slide name, the slide position, the width of 
the slide and the height of the slide.

	Name: The name is the name of the slide as it is stored in the 
	presentation.

	Slide Number: The slide number is the current position of the slide 
	in the presentation.

	Width: The width is the displayable width of the image.

	Height: The height is the displayable height of the image.


	
			EditShow Error Messages

	The following is a list of the errors that can occur in the EditShow 
program. The error is listed followed by a description of what the problem 
could be.

	Can't Allocate Enough Memory To Add Slide - This error message will 
occur if your machine is running low on available memory. Each slide that you 
add to the presentation takes a variable amount of memory depending on the 
slide. One way to get around this message is simply leave this slide out of 
your presentation. The only way to solve this problem is to add more memory 
to your system.

	Can't Delete Slide File - This error message is very rare. This will 
occur if something has caused the presentation in memory to become corrupted. 
The way to handle this message is to save your current presentation. Close the 
presentation. Load the presentation and then try to delete the slide again. 
This initialization should clear up the problem.

	Close Presentation Before Deleting It - This message will occur if 
the user tries to delete a presentation that they are currently working on. 
A presentation requires data to be held in memory so it must be closed before 
it can be deleted. To get around this error, just close the presentation 
before deleting it.

	Couldn't Find File - This error will occur if you type in the name of 
a presentation that does not exist. You should either search through the file 
dialog box for the presentation that you are looking for or double check the 
spelling of the path and the file name of the presentation you are looking 
for.

	Error Accessing Memory For Slide - This error occurs if a problem has 
occurred in memory. The safest way around this error is to close your 
presentation, open it back up again and resume editing. This initialization 
should correct the problem.

	Error Accessing Thumbnail Memory - Deleting Image - This error will 
occur if the thumbnail image causes a memory error. The image will be deleted 
from the presentation if this error occurs. You can either try to add the 
image back into the presentation or, use a commercial file conversion program 
to convert the image into a format that can be easily used.

	Error Closing File - This error should only occur if the system has a 
problem getting rid of the file. This error should not occur on your system. 
If you get this message, run system diagnostics to make sure your machine is 
running properly.

	Error Creating The New File - This error will occur if the system 
can't create the presentation file. The most common cause of this error is 
that your system is running low on memory. The way to solve this problem is 
to add more memory to your system.

	Error Creating Thumbnail - Deleting Image - This error will occur if 
a thumbnail can't be created for a specific image. Because the thumbnail 
needs to be created for identifying an image, the image will not be added to 
the presentation. You may try to use a commercial file conversion program to 
change the file format to one that can be easily manipulated in the EditShow 
program.

	Error Deleting File - Not Deleted - This error occurs when trying to 
delete a presentation file that you don't wish to keep. Windows has failed to 
delete the file. The easiest way to handle this message is to simply delete 
the file from DOS.

	Error Occurred Displaying Image - This error will occurs if the user 
tries to view a thumbnail image and an error occurs while trying to bring it 
to the screen. This is a Windows error and may be due to an incompatible 
video card or video driver.

	Error Opening File - This error will arise if your presentation file 
has been corrupted. Make sure that the presentation file you are trying to 
load is a valid "EditShow" presentation. It is a good idea to backup your 
presentation files if they are going to be kept for long periods of time, or 
if they are going to be used in important presentations.

	Error Reading File - This error occurs when you try to load an 
existing presentation and invalid data was found. The cause of this error is 
that the presentation file has become corrupted.

	Error Setting Correct Path - This error will come from windows. The 
problem was that you either entered a path name incorrectly in the file 
dialog box or , there may be a problem in your machine. Check all device 
drivers (CD-ROM etc...), as well as run diagnostics to make sure that all 
paths are correct on your machine.

	Error Setting New Drive - This error will come from windows. This 
error usually occurs if you have a disk driver that is not setup correctly or 
there may be a problem with your machine. You should first check to make sure 
that drive device drivers are setup correctly ( CD-ROM etc... ).

	Error Writing To File - This error normally occurs if there is a 
problem with the drive that the presentation is being written to. The most 
common manifestation of this error is if the drive you are trying to write 
the presentation file becomes full. Make sure that your drive is functioning 
properly and that there is plenty of free space on it.

	Image File Can Not Be Found - This error occurs if you try to type in 
the name of the image you are trying to add to the presentation, and the file 
is not found. Double check the spelling of the path name and the image name 
and try to load it again. You can also locate the image through the file 
dialog box and load it directly from there.

	Invalid Data Detected - File May Be Invalid - This error will occur 
if the presentation file has some invalid data in it. The system will 
continue to try to load the presentation. This error may occur across a 
couple of slides, and may result in losing several slides. The easiest way 
around this error is to simply add the original images that were affected 
back into the presentation.

	Invalid File Format - This message will normally occur if you try to 
load a .PRS file that is not compatible with Serial Solution's presentation 
file format. This error will also occur if you try to load either a .BMP or 
.PCX file that is not compatible with the standard definitions of those file 
formats.

	Invalid Slide Detected - Not Loaded - This error occurs if invalid 
data was found in an individual slide in a presentation. When this error 
occurs, the presentation will continue to load, simply neglecting the image 
that it had trouble with. The easiest way to handle this message is to delete 
it from your presentation and add the original.

	Memory Error Occurred, Some Slide Data May Be Destroyed - This error 
message is due to a possible memory error. The easiest way around this error 
is to close your presentation, open it back up again and resume editing. This 
initialization should correct the problem. When you open your presentation, 
you may have to re-create some of your previous slides.

	No Existing Slides To Replace - Adding Image - This message will 
occur if you hit the replace button when their are no slides to replace. The 
most common example of this error message is when you have no slides defined 
in your presentation and you accidentally hit the replace button. You can 
still add an image by doing this and the message should just be ignored.

	No Images To Save - No Save Occurring - EditShow will only attempt to 
save a presentation if one is detected. The minimum requirement for a 
presentation is one slide. If the presentation you are working on has no 
slides currently in it, don't try to save it.

	No Slide Selected To View - This error indicates that the user tried 
to view an image that does not exist in the presentation. The most common 
example of this error takes place when the user has not started to create 
their presentation and they accidentally hit the view button. If you have no 
slides defined in your presentation, just ignore this message.

	No Slides To Delete - This error indicates that the user tried to 
delete an image that does not exist in the presentation. The most common 
example of this error takes place when the user has not started to create 
their presentation and they accidentally hit the delete button. If you have 
no slides defined in your presentation, just ignore this message.

	Presentation File Does Not Exist - This message will occur if you 
enter a presentation name in the file dialog box. You should first try to 
locate the presentation through the file dialog box and load it by clicking 
on it. If you wish to type in the full name of the presentation, double check 
the path name spelling and try again.

	EditShow Does Not Currently Support This Display Option - This message 
is displayed if the system's current graphic display is not a palette based
display device. EditShow does not currently support graphic cards that are 
true color devices ( pixels are display as true color, not palette indexes ).
